How a Nazi-inspired party transitioned from politics to street violence
In short: Founded in 1968 to bypass new racial laws, the British Movement abandoned mainstream politics for a more aggressive strategy. By recruiting violent skinhead youths and focusing on provocative marches, the group traded electoral ambitions for a reputation for extremist direct action and paramilitary-style training.
The British Movement (BM) emerged from the National Socialist Movement (NSM) following the passing of the Race Relations Act 1968. This legislation forced founder Colin Jordan to abandon overtly Nazi party names, leading to the formation of the BM as a way to maintain anti-Semitic and Nazi-apologist ideologies within new legal restrictions. While it began as a political party, it functioned more as an activist and pressure group.
The group's history is marked by extreme violence and direct action. Key figures like Nicky Crane led attacks on non-white individuals, including a 1978 assault on a Black family in Bishopsgate and a 1979 attack on Asians on Brick Lane. In 1980, Crane instigated an attack at the Woolwich Odeon, where members smashed windows and doors, resulting in a Pakistani man being knocked unconscious.
Internal instability and legal pressures eventually dismantled the organization. In 1975, Jordan resigned as leader following a shoplifting arrest in a Coventry Tesco. He was succeeded by Michael McLaughlin, a former milkman, who shifted the party's focus toward young, working-class males and the White power skinhead movement. By 1980, the BM claimed 4,000 members across 25 branches.
The party's decline accelerated due to internal power struggles and legal costs. A leadership challenge by Ray Hill, who was acting as a mole for the magazine Searchlight, led to a court case that depleted the group's funds. By 1982, half of the membership had defected to the British National Party, and McLaughlin officially closed the BM in September 1983.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: British Movement
- Also: Wikidata — British Movement · CC0
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